The Lying Game Season 2 Interview: Blair Redford Discusses the Winter Premiere

It’s the night The Lying Game fans have been waiting on! The show comes back to ABC Family for its winter premiere and TV Equals was on hand to learn more about the new season from Blair Redford. Read on to find out what happened during the conference call with Redford, which included talk about new storylines, Ethan’s feelings for both Emma and Sutton and more.

New themes

Redford said there are some new overarching themes this season, including new relationships and a possible death.

“I guess some of the major ones they put out there so you’ll have to keep your eye out on different couples and try to figure out who they think is going to tie the knot,” he said. I think another big one that has also been put out there is one of our main characters will bite the dust. Everybody needs to try to figure this out now. I think that will be fun to watch and worry about, and then we’ve got this new guy, Jordan (Ryan Rottman), who’s going to form different relationships. That’s another one to watch. So those are some of the new ones.”

What’s happening with Ethan?

Redford talked a little about what kind of mental state Ethan is in when the show returns. Needless, to say, it’s not very good.

“I think the season opens up and Ethan’s in a little bit of a darker, more depressed place given how the last season ended. Anyone who watches the show knows how Sutton (Alexandra Chando) operates and I think that definitely leaves it open for Ethan and her to get closer because anytime that Emma (Chando) won’t entertain Ethan, Sutton’s there to step in,” he said. “So you’ll definitely see, compared to last year, it’s different because I think he’s pretty certain of what kind of girl she is after she’s repeatedly lied to him so many times, but he still can’t really shake either one of those twins. So it’ll still be there.”

The arrival of Jordan

When Jordan joins the group, Ethan goes through a couple of “different twists and turns,” according to Redford. “He’s not very trusting of anyone new as it is, so I think he sort of has one opinion of Jordan when he first arrives, but it doesn’t stay one level. It’s kind of nice to see. They definitely start out as a bit of a rivalry, as you might expect, but it definitely grows and changes,” he said. “[I]t’s something interesting to watch, and honestly I think there’s more places for it to go. I’d like it if Ethan had a friend at some point, you know? Just a guy
that he can knock a beer back with or something and watch a game, but he spends all of his time with the twins, I think.”

Who does Ethan like the most?

“I’d say given what we’ve seen, I think the healthier relationship would be with Emma. I
think that’s more of the real relationship,” said Redford when discussing Ethan’s relationship to the twins. “And then I think with Sutton it’s a bad habit….But he’s drawn to girls that really have a good heart. So he kissed Sutton when she had put on that face. She was on the farm with him and she had put on this kind and caring side of herself, which is there, but that’s the times that he’s attracted to her. They are limited, but when they pop up he likes it.”

Developments with the Whitehorse brothers

Redford said he was excited to see what’s going to go down between the Ethan and his brother Dan (Tyler Christopher) this season. “I think in a lot of moments in our show where they’re kind of combative, especially in the first season, obviously a large part of it is because Ethan’s lying to his older brother a lot,” he said. “…I think this second season opens up a little bit more and shows how they need each other to lean on, to count on, because they are the only family they have. So there’s just a lot there where they’re helping each other out with different challenges they’re both going to face this season and that was really fun to play.”

Two characters, one actress

Alexandra Chando plays both Emma and Sutton, and while you might it might be difficult for Redford to see Chando as her different characters, it isn’t.

“…It’s funny; that comes up a lot. I didn’t think it was going to happen this way. When the show was first created I didn’t expect this, but she has a difference in the characters, so finely polished that you show up on set and she doesn’t even have to say anything to me. I just know who she’s playing. I don’t have to look at a script to see which twin I’m with, which makes it really easy on me and I think the rest of the cast,” he said. “But it is kind of a shock because just her mannerisms, things she does with her eyes, the two girls have different smiles. In a way I do feel like there are two of them. She’s very convincing with it. It
kind of freaks me out occasionally, but props to her for pulling it off.”

A final teaser

When talking about his favorite episodes, Redford gave fans another tidbit about the upcoming season. “…I can’t elaborate too much on the new season, especially on my favorite episode because it’s the last one we shot. It’s episode ten of season two,” he said. “I just think our writers are so talented at having all these story lines stem out in different areas and then they come to a crescendo on some of our finale episodes. To me, ten is just brilliant. It’s really fun to watch. A bunch of questions will be answered.”

The winter premiere of The Lying Game airs tonight at 9/8c on ABC Family.

About The Author

Monique Jones is a freelance entertainment writer who also runs Moniqueblog.net, a site analyzing how race and culture are perceived in American entertainment. She has been published on ShockYa, Racialicious, Topless Robot and more.